THE JUBILEE OF MERCY Passing through the Holy Door & the Plenary

“I wish that the Jubilee Indulgence may reach each one as a genuine experience of God's mercy, which comes to meet each person in the Face of the Father who welcomes and forgives, forgetting completely the sin committed.”

– Francis, Letter to Abp. Fisichella, Sept. 1, 2015.

One of the many graces of the Jubilee Year of Mercy is a special plenary indulgence, which is the complete remission of all temporal punishment due to sin. One of the ways to obtain the plenary indulgence this year is to make a pilgrimage to a Church that has a designated Holy Door of Mercy. In the Archdiocese of Boston, there is only one officially designated Holy Door, which is at the of the Holy Cross, and can be found on the Union Park Street side entrance of the church. Please note that this interior door is also accessible by elevator for those unable to use the stairs. To receive the Jubilee Indulgence, one must perform the indulgenced act of passing through the Holy Door at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross during the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (between Dec. 8, 2015 and Nov. 20, 2016). has also said that it is possible to receive the plenary indulgence even if one is physically unable to make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral’s Holy Door. One must simply perform a work of mercy (spiritual or corporal). “Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence.”

To receive the Jubilee Indulgence All members of the Christian Faithful of the Archdiocese of Boston who are truly contrite and moved by the spirit of charity, who wish to seek this indulgence are to make a profession of faith and observe the usual conditions:

 Sacramentally confess their sins;  Participate in the celebration of, and receive, the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy;  Pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, the Pope. While the three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the indulgenced work, it is fitting that Communion be received, the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father, and the profession of faith be said on the same day. Sacramental Confession A single sacramental confession suffices for several plenary but receiving Communion and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father are required for each indulgence. Please note that one can only receive a single plenary indulgence per day. Prayer for the Pope Prayer for the Pope's intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an Our Father and a Hail Mary are suggested. Offering Indulgences for the Holy Souls Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.

“May pilgrimage be an impetus to conversion: By crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace God’s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us…” - Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, no. 14